Brake mechanism



Aug 31 1926.

C. E. B.v SMITH ET AL BRAKE MECHANI SM W? A 5 m Aug. 31 1926. 1,597,930

. c. E. B. SMITH ET AL BRAKE MEGHANI SM Filed Augfist 10, 1925 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -Aug. 31, 1926.

' 597,930 7 c. E. B. SMlTH ETAL BRAKE MECHANISM Filed Angus Ifiheets-h'eet s Patented Aug. 31, 1926. I I I I v entree Smswmm orrics.

CHARLES E. B. SMITH AND JOHN H. VJEIDEMILLER, F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

BRAKE MECEANISM.

Application filed August 10, 1925. Serial No. 49,198.

This invention relates to the hand opernism and brake shoes, alsoto provide a windatcd brake mechanism for railway cars. ing member having the form of a sheave,

The principal object of this invention is wheel or drum having a cam or spiral peto provide a brake mechanism which inripherat surface upon which the winding 5 sures the maximum protection or safety for end of the pull line or chain'is wrapped durthe life and limb of the trainmen as well ing the operation of applying the brakes and as for the equipment and thelading which employing a clutch between the worm gearis being transported. ing and the winding member which auto- Another object of this invention is the matically couples these parts but permits of 10 provision of means whereby the brakes may quickly uncoupling the same either by foot be released from the ground and thereby or hand pressure so as to permit the brakes avoid the necessity o-fcllmbing on top of the to instantly release without affecting the po car lor this purpose as has been necessary sition of the hand operated staff or shaft.

heretofore. in the accompanying drawings i 1 Another ob ect of this invention is to so igure 1 1s a side elevation of the preorganize this brake mechanism that a very ferred embodiment of our invention applied niwerful application of the same may be to the under side of the car body.

made with ease and with gradually increas- Figure 2 is a-front elevation of the same. v

ing speed and power, so as to cause theslack Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section 0 in the brake chain orconnection to be quicktaken on line 3 3, Fig. l.

y takenup and apply the greatest pressure Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical londuring the last part of the brake setting opgitudinal section taken on line 4-t, Fig. 2.

oration and also permit of gradually releas- Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken mg thebralres with ease. on line 5--5, F 1g. 1. 5 Another ob ect of this invention 1s topro- Figure 6 1s a fragmentary face view of vide a brake mechanism whichcan be used the. winding drum forming part of this with greater safety by a trainman, which brake mechanism. contains no-ratchets, pawls or other similar Figure 7 is a side elevation of the worm parts which are liable to become broken or wheel and its shaft which form part of the -0 to get out of order and render the brake worm gearingof this brake mechanism.

mechanism inoperative. 7 I Figure 8 is aside elevation of a shifting 8 Another object of this invention is to prorod forming part of the clutch mechanism vide a brake mechanism-in which'the main" between the worm gearing and the winding working parts are completely enclosed so that sheave. 1

the same are protected against the weath- Figure 9 is an end elevation of the same. er and prevented from becoming clogged by The numeral 10 represents the lower part dirt, rain, snow and ice and also to enable of acar body atone end thereof upon which the parts to be constantly lubricated and our improved brake mechanism is adapted thus not only ensure easy working .of the to be mounted, which car body may be of 40 same but also protect the same. against rust any suitable construction. Below the under and corrosion. side and adjacent to the end of the car body Further objects of this invention are to is arranged a bracket which forms part of I provide a brake mechanism which is caour invention and which in the preferred 'pableof use in connection with the brake construction shown in the drawings,'co1nmechanism now in general use thereby avoidprises an upper base 11 which may be seing undue cost of installation and to imcured to the under side of the car by means prove the brake mechanism in various details of bolts .12 as shown in the drawings, or by of construction which will be hereinafter other suitable means, and two arms or hang- 'more fully set forth. V cm depending from this base, one of these. lVith these objects in view this brake arms 13 being formed integrally with the mechanism consists generally in arranging base and provided at its lower end with a 5 a worm gearing between the-usual hand opbearing 14: and the other arm being comerated shaft or staff and the chain which posed of an inner seetionlowhich is formed is connected with the regular brake mechaintegrally with the base and an outer section \Vithin this gear casing is arranged a worm wheel 20 which is formed integrally with a shaft, one. end 21 of which isshort and journaled in the bearing 18 while the other end 22 of the same is long and projects through an opening 23 in the outer side of the arm 15 and across the space between the arm section 15 and the arm 13 and is journaled at its extremity in the bearing 14, as shown in Fig. 3. I

The arm sections 15 and 16 are provided with forward extensions 2% 25 which to gether form a forward extension 26 of the .worm gear casing and in this casing extension is arranged an upright worm 27 the trunnlons at the upper and lower ends of which arejournaled in divided bearings 28,

29, formed equally between the parts of the arm sections 15 and 16 above thecasing extension 26 and between these arm sections at the lower end of this casing extension. In order to save the upper and lower parts of the casing extension from undue wear due to the longitudinal thrust of the worm 27, thrustwashers 30, 31 are employed which surround the trunnions formed by the upper and lower parts of the wormshaftand are interposed between the upper and lower ends ofits thread and the inn-erside of the bearings 28 and 29, as best shown in Fig. 4.

the lower end of anupright staff or'shaft 32 the upper end of which extends to the. top of the car where it is provided with The manually in a well known manner.

connection between this staff and the worm,

as shown in the drawings is effected byproviding the lower end of the staifwith a socket 33 which receives a shank 34 at the upper end of the worm shaft, this socket and shank being preferably. square in horizontal section so as to compel the worm and staff to turn together but in the preferred con-j struction an additionalfastening pin 35 is employed which extends through this'socket the free end of the lineor chain 37 or other iiexible motion transmitting member which is connected with those parts which move the brake shoes'toward the periphery of the car wheels forthe purpose ofprodu'cing a brak- This worm is operatively connected with the -usual hand wheel for turning the same ing effect. This winding sheave is provided at its periphery with an annular groove 38 which receives the free end of the brake chain or member 37 and which is provided with a coupling pin 39 extending across one part of the groove 38 andreceiving the end link of the brake chain; The bottom or peripheral surface of the groove 38 is preferably made in the form of a cam, snail or spiral, the highest part 40 of which is arranged'adj acent to the front side of the coupling pin 39 while the lowest part e1 thereof is adjacent to the opposite or rear side of this coupling pin, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.. The effect of this cam bottom orperipheral surface on the winding sheave is to causea comparatively rapid take-up action-of the chain on the sheaveduring the initial portion of the brake applying operation and a graduallydecreasing speed in this chain winding operation as the brake shoes greatest leverage or drawing effect is exerted upon the brake shoes when the brake shoes are in engagement with the. car Wheels.

.By this means the slack in the brake chain or rigging can be quickly taken up so as to ensure a quicker application of the brakes and after this slack istaken up the maximum pressure is applied to the brake shoes for effectively resisting the rotation of the car Wheels and gradually bringing the car to a stand still.

A clutch mechanism is provided which permitsof coupling the worm gearing .and the winding sheave so that motion is transmitted fro n themanually operated staff 32 to the brake chain 37 for applying the brakes, but which Will-permit of instantly disconnecting the Winding sheave from the release ofthe brakes: This clutch mechanism is preferably-arranged close to the worm gearing and thuspermit of a quick 7 ground so that the same can be uncoupled by the pressure of the foot or hand of the trainman While he is on the ground and thereby avoidithe necessity of climbing on top ofthe car body for this purpose Whereby the safety of considerable timeisjsaved in the leasingioperation. 7

Although this clutch or coupling may be variously constructed that shown in the drawings is preferred andconstructed as follows.

'The numeralj42 represents a, cylindrical guideway formed lengthwise in the long section 22' of the worm wheel shaft and 43 is a pocket formed in the short section 21 of this shaft. Slidable' lengthwise within the guide .Way. 42 is a shifting rod 44 which is provided. at -its outer end with a .presser the trainman is insured and brake re-- .formed on diametrically 45 which preferably has its outer face knurled, scored or serrated, as shown at 46. Near its inner end this shifting rod 44 is provided with a transverse pin 47, the opposite ends of which project through longitudinal slots 48 in the adjacent parts on the shaft section 22 and also adapted to move into and out of engagement with notches 49 opposite sides of the adjacent part. of thehub of the cam sheave 38, as shown in Figs. 8, 5 and 6. The shifting rod 44 is moved outwardly and yieldingly held in this position for engaging the ends of its pin 47 with the notches 49 of the cam sheave by means of a spring 50 which'is arranged axially within the worm wheel andbea-rs at one end against the bottom of the pocket 43 while its other end bears against a shoulder 51 formed on the reduced inner end of the shifting rod 44, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

, Normally the pin 47 is in engagement with the notches 49 so that a forward rotary motion applied to the staff 32 will cause the worm and worm wheel to turn forwardly and the cam sheaveto be also turned forwardly with the worm wheel for the purpose of causing the brake chain 37 to be wound on the periphery of the cam sheave and the brake shoes to be thereby moved toward the car wheels for applying the brakes. Owing to the employment of a worm and worm wheel between the brake staff 32 and the head ' cam sheave no ratchet mechanism or detent pawl is necessary to prevent retrograde or unwinding movement of the sheave and staff inasmuch as this function in the present case is performed by engagement of the worm on the staff with the worm wheel which is connected with the sheave, thereby avoiding the use of any delicate parts which are liable to getout of order and impair the safety of the brake mechanism. If a gradual or slight release of the brakes is desired this can be accomplished by turning the brake staff backwardly as much as desired which can be done easily and without releasing the brakes altogether and still causing the brakes to be held in the position desired due to the worm gearing. When it is desired to release the brakes quickly after an application of the same has been made it is only necessary to push in the shifting rod 44 either by foot pressure, hand pressure or other convenient way, whereby the coupling pin 47 will be disengaged from the notches 49 of the cam sheave and thereby permit the latter to turn backwardly or in the direction in which the brake chain unwinds therefrom and releases the pull upon the brake shoes so that the latter are free to be disengaged from the car wheels. This release of the cam sheave can be effected while the trainman is standing on the ground, thereby not only saving time inasmuch as it avoids the necessity of climbble than is possible ing on top of the car for this purpose but it also increases the safety in the operation of the brake mechanism.

For the purpose of lubricating the bearings of this brake mechanism grease or other I suitable lubricant is introduced into the hollow worm wheel shaft through an opening in the end of its short section 21. From the interior of this shaft, the grease is conducted through ducts 52, 56 and 57 to the bearing surfaces between the worm wheel shaft and the cam sheave and the arm 13 and arm section 16, respectively. In order to provide a reservoir for holding a larger quantity of grease the worm wheel is made hollow to form a storage chamber or reservoir 54 for lubricant and thus necessitates less frequentrefilling. Some of the grease flows from the hollow worm wheel shaft through the slots 48 into the casing 19 and its extension 26 formed between the arm sec tions 15, 16, from which the moving worm gearing therein and delivered to the lower and upper bearings 29. 28 of the worm.

For the purpose of facilitating the pas-, sage of grease to the ports 52 and 57 the central part of the shifting rod 44 is reduced, as shown at 53, thereby providing a passage way for the lubricant. the shifting rod 44 which is traversed by the coupling pin 47 is fitted sufficiently loose in the adjacent part of the guide way 42 to permit the passage of grease slowly the-rebetween from the chambered worm wheel shaft to the delivery ducts 52 and57. is

It will be apparent from the foregoing that by this means all of the bearing surfaces of this mechanism will be thoroughly lubricated thereby reducing the wear on the same to a minimum and maintaining the apparatus in the highest state of efliciency, for a considerable time.

In operating this brake mechanism it is possible to apply the same easily and gradually with a powerful pressure and to hold the same at any point without the use of ratchet wheels or pawls, and itis also possible to ease off the brakes easily and gradually as much as necessary without losing control of the same, this being due to the use of the worm gearing which forms a posi tive lock for the brake mechanism in all positions of the same. A much more powerful application of the brakes is therefore possiby the use of a club or bar commonly employed heretofore by trainmen for obtaining a greater leverage on the hand wheel, nor is it possible for the trainman to lose control of the brakes when applying or releasing the same as often happens when using a club in the manner described and a ratchet mechanism which when released permits the hand wheel to fly it is picked up by- The inner part of portion. of the V shaft and a back without restraint and release the brakes all at once, at which time the 'trainman'is cost, it can be readily installed on cars al' ready equipped with a hand brake-mechanism of the character heretofore in common use, and it notjonly renders the operation of the brake mechanism safer and more rapid, but it also permits of amuch more powerful application of the brakes than has been possible heretofore andthus enables a car to be brought more promptly to a stand still or under reduced speed when this is necessary in order to avoid danger orinjury.

We claim as our invention I 1. A brake mechanism for railway cars comprising a worm wheelhaving a hollow shaft and a longitudinal slot extending from the inner to the outer side of said shaft, a worm meshing with said worm wheel, a sheave journaled on said shaft and provided with a notch in its hub, a shifting rod slid' able lengthwlsein said shaft, and a coupling pin projecting laterally from' said rod through said longitudinal slot and movable into and out of engagement with said notch.

2. A brake mechanism for railway cars comprising a worm wheel having a hollow longitudinal slot extendingfrom the inner to the outer side of said shaft, a worm meshing" with said worm wheel, a sheave journaled on said shaft and provided with a notch in its hub, a shifting rod slidable lengthwise in said shaft, a coupling pin projecting laterally from said rodthrough said longitudinal slot and movable into and out of engagement with said notch, and a spring acting on said rod and holding said pin yieldingly in engagement with said notch. V 3.'A brake inechanismvfor railway cars comprising a bracket provided with depending arms having bearings, a hollow shaft journaled in said bearings andv having a filling opening for introducing a lubricant into the shaft and also having discharge ducts leading to said bearinga-aworm wheel arranged on said shaft, a worm meshing with said wo'rm wheel and rotatably mounted on one of said arms,a winding sheave rotatable about said shaft, the latter being provided with a lubricant delivery duct leading to the bore of said sheave, and a pull line adapted to be Wound on said sheave and to be connected with shoes of said brake mechanism, said worm wheel being'hollow and serving as a lubricant reservoir. r I 4. A brake mechanism for railway cars comprising a bracket provided with depending arms having bearings, a hollow shaft journaled in said bearings and having a filling opening for introducing a lubricantinto the leading to said bearings, a worm wheel arranged on said shaft, a worm meshing with said worm wheel and rotatably mounted on shaft'and also-having discharge ducts one of said arms, a sheave rotatable about said shaft, thelatter being provided with a lubricant delivery duct leading to the bore of said sheave, and a pull line adapted to be wound on said sheave and to be connected with brake shoes forming part of the brake mechanism, one of said arms being divided into sections which are hollow and form between them a casing which encloses said wormand worm wheel.

; CHARLES E. B. SMITH.

JOHN H. WEIDEMILLER. 

